June 21:
Write Into The Day: Meaningful Assignment
One of The 9 Rights of Every Writer: A Guide for Teachers by ‍Vicki Spandel
traits is the right be reflective. As my son Josh is preparing to leave for college, I wanted to create a sort of tribute to my "last baby chick" before leaving the next. "Knowing a topic well is the foundation of voice." (p. 24), I know my son well (I think) and I wanted to share this tribute. Note: I got this idea from another author, and adapted it to fit my son.

Long ago you came to me, a miracle of firsts
First smiles and teeth and baby steps, a sunbeam on the burst.
But one day you will move away and leave to me your past,
And I will be left thinking of a lifetime of your lasts.
"The last time that I held a bottle to your baby lips...
Last time that I lifted you and held you on my hip...
Last time when you ran to me, still small enough to hold,
Last time when you said you'd marry me when you grew old.
Precious, simple moments and bright flashes from the past,
Would I have held you longer if I'd known they were the last?"

"Your last few hours of kindergarten, last days of first grade...
Last shot at basketball, last colored paper made.
Last time that I tucked you in for one last midday nap...
Last time when you wore your beat-up Jeff Gordon racing cap.
Last time that you caught a frog in Uncle John's old pond
Last time when you ran barefoot across our fresh cut lawn
Silly scattered images to represent your past.
Would I have taken pictures...if I'd known they were the last?

"The last dark night you slipped in bed and slept between us two,
When last I read to you of God or Horton Hears a Who!
Last time that I smelled your hair and prayed after your shower...
Last time that we held devotions in the evening hours.

"The last time we read Wally McDoogle and giggled head to toe
Last time that you made an angel in the melting snow.
I never even said good-bye to yesterday long passed.
Would I have marked the moments...if I'd known they were the last?

"Last piano lesson, and last soccer goal you kicked....
The last few weeks of middle school, last flowers that you picked.
Last time that you needed me for rides from here to there...
The last time that you spend the night with that old tattered bear.

"Last time that I helped you with a math or spelling test,
Last time when I shouted that your room was still a mess.
Time and life moved quicker, taking pieces of your past.
Would I have stretched the moments....if I'd known they were the last?

"The last time that you talked to me about your hopes and dreams.
Last time that you wore a jersey for the Fellowship team.

"I watched you grow and never noticed seasons as they passed.
I wish I could've frozen time, to hold on to your lasts.
For come tomorrow, life will never be the same.
You'll graduate from High School and make IWU your aim.

"One last hug, one last good-bye, one quick and hurried kiss...
One last time to understand just how much you'll be missed.
I'll watch you leave and think how quickly childhood sped past.
Would I have held on longer...if I'd known it was your last?"

This is my response to Marcia Larkin's Demo 6/21/2011

December 24, Journal of soldier in Washington's Army

Oh, it is soooo cold! My shoes have worn out. My buddies and I are leaving trails of blood as we make our treck towrads the enemy. Our food is just about out. I'm soooo homesick! I miss Ma's Christmas pudding. I'm soooo cold! Michael died in his sleep last night. There's no place to get out of the cold. Washington prays for God's mercy each morning. I see him with his Bible open on his lap, his head bowed in his flimsy tent as I pass. He groans under the stress of the burden of so many lives lost for the cause of this great nation. I've heard mention that several of my peers wonder if this nation will really become a reality, or if we'll go down in history, the laughing stock of all generations who come behind us.
Doc and I buried another soldier last night. That's 30 so far. The medical supplies are beyond help. There's no reinforcement coming. The Doc looks weary and haunted as he tries to comfort the sick and ailing. Is all hope lost?
I remember the chuch ladies assuring me of their prayers before they proudly sent me off. I hesitate to think I would repeat the same choice, had I known then what I know now.
Will I live to see tomorrow? Will I ever meet up with Sarah Pain again? Will she remember the daisy I gave her last spring after exams? Does she remember the hair ribbons she left on the table last fall? I've kept them close to my heart, in my shirt pocket. I finger them each night before I close my eyes.
Ma's Christmas pudding, the sound of Pa's fiddle, the giggles of my younger sister Mary as she dances around the fire place, eyeing her bulging stocking....these are images I see nightly in my head, just before I go to sleep. I hear whimpers from those boys too young to be called to fight this man's war. Sadly, many of us have taken sick with the fever. It won't be a merry Christmas for these soldiers. Oh, God! Have mercy on us.

Character Profile Questions:

My character is a 12 year old boy.
He is a tall, freckled, and muscular.
His red hair is curly and unruly.
His voice is changing and so while he tries to act older, his voice often gives the proof of his adolesence.
He has intense blue eyes, that sparkle when he laughs.
Though not a true British accent, he has a southern twang to his British roots.
His farm clothes include a cotton shirt, denim knickers, leather boots (worn off from all the marching), linen undergarments and stockings. He has a rope to hold up his pants.
He loves to read.
Has a good work ethic.
He struggles in leadership positions. Though other people look up to him, he is timid to voice his opinion.
His affections for Sarah Pain have been troublesome to him.
He hasn't voiced his feelings, and he struggles with the potential confrontation, should she display attention to that awful Edwark Bourke in town!
He's liked by everyone.
He is deeply passionate for his freedom to worship God. He is a devout family man. He wants to emulate his father. Though he likes to read, his primary career skills lie in those of being a farmer. He aches to owne his own land.
His friends like to eat! They enjoy debating politics and the direction their new country should be heading.
He is passionate!
He has one younger sister, two parents, both grand parents are dead.
He lives in the country on a plot of 40 acres, in the colony of Virginia.
My character drawing would go here.
Three questions I might ask my peers about their characters.
This is a possible story problem (including setting) that I might use.
- My character, Jeremy is a 12 year old boy with a man's passion for freedom. He aches to own his own land and not have to pay the hefty taxes the British are imposing. He's heard his Pa voice his concern about the family finances. He's very concerned. There's no one to care for Ma should something happen to Pa. Both sets of grandparents are gone and relatives all live in England. Pa brought Ma to the American Colonies right after they were married. The setting is on a cold beach not far from the Deleware where Washington's march is heralded.
My character's name is Jeremey.

Writing Now

Writing across the curriculum (WAC)

assumes that writing can both foster and demonstrate learning in a variety
of subjects or disciplines. It emphasizes writing practices that are common, communicable, and portable as ways to encourage critical thinking and learning. Such practices include journals, in-class writing, and linked assignments. The goal is to use writing in multiple ways to prepare students for a variety of disciplinary contexts.
4

Writing in the disciplines (WID)

has much in common with WAC, but the emphasis is different. It focuses on the generic conventions, including content-specific vocabulary and what counts as evidence or as good organization in a given discipline. Students learn to write as members of specific discourse communities.
5

Formative writing assessments

are diagnostic tools that can provide feedback to teachers and students over the course of an instructional unit or term. Some common methods of formative writing assessment include commenting on drafts, soliciting peer response, and holding writing conferences.

Summative writing assessments

usually take place after some instruction has occurred, and involve assigning a value (i.e., a letter grade on a final essay or portfolio, or a standardized test score) that articulates a measure of student achievement in writing.
6
Prescriptive grammar
is based on the belief that there is (or should be) a hierarchy of language usage. In this view some dialects and registers of English are privileged over others, and the less privileged ones are described as “incorrect.”7

Functional grammar

considers the English language as it is actually used by speakers and writers in real-world contexts. Based on recent research in linguistics, instruction focused on functional grammar can enhance student
understanding of the discourses of different disciplines because it shows how language evolves for different purposes in different contexts, and how variations are contextappropriate.8

New-media writing refers

to writing associated with digital technologies such as computers, videos, podcasts, and the Internet. These technologies have the potential to make writing more fluid and facilitate the blending of visual and
verbal texts. This means that new media offer new conceptual and material opportunities for writers.

Common Myths about School-Based Writing

Myth: One-time high stakes assessments of writing are the best way to determine students’ preparation for
college.
Reality: College admissions tests, such as the ACT and SAT, have recently incorporated one-time, high-stakes timedwriting portions as either optional or mandatory. However, research shows that these high-stakes timed-writing samples are often ineffective or incomplete indicators of student ability and capability for college work. Misuse and misunderstanding of the results of standardized tests of writing is common, which may lead to inequalities in admission to colleges and graduate programs, especially for traditionally underrepresented groups. Consequently, most admissions programs weigh multiple factors to evaluate preparation for college.14

The holistic approach avoids separate or isolated grammar instruction.

An exclusive focus on grammar instruction and grammar-related assessments can distract students
and teachers from the entire range of features that constitute effective writing. 16
Research shows that explicit teaching of grammar using a context-based functional approach, which
focuses on how words, phrases, and sentences work together to make meaning can help basic writers and
English language learners improve their writing.17
Employers who place high value on accuracy, clarity, and usage in workplace writing also value rhetorical
features such as persuasive appeals to a real audience, and they often expect employees to participate
in collaborative construction of written texts.18

The holistic approach regards the “process model” of writing as flexible.

Writing does not proceed in linear fashion from prewriting to drafting to revising. The revision practices
of students become more effective when instructors help them to see that revision occurs at every stage
of the writing process. Students benefit from a metacognitive understanding of revision; rather than just
learning steps in a process, they should constantly reflect upon their own writing performances.
19
Most teachers say they use a “process” approach to writing instruction, and students demonstrate familiarity
with process tasks. However, research shows that the implementation of process approaches is flexible
and varies from one classroom to another.20
Students who create high quality writing plans, often involving reflection or awareness of their own thinking
as well as personal goals for writing, produce stronger papers. Teachers can help students with this
process by examining and responding to prewriting as well as drafts.21
When students are given explicit instructions in writing they can develop the ability to monitor and
modify their own writing processes and this, in turn, improves the quality of their writing. Such instruction
can include strategies like goal-setting and selfmonitoring, which lead students to write longer, more
developed, and qualitatively stronger texts.22
The 21st century requires writers who can move easily between genres, think critically about new writing
tasks, exercise audience awareness, and be able to identify and improve areas of weakness.24

Digital technologies influence the processes, circulation, and evaluation of writing, and students need to
learn how to work effectively with them.25
Inquiry-based writing connects writing practices with real-world experiences and tasks; it also increases
student engagement. Research shows that authentic writing involving analysis and interpretation is related
to increased writing achievement.26

http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/PolicyResearch/WrtgResearchBrief.pdf

Class notes:

Writing NOW

Writing in a Changing World
We write more than ever in the past
Writing is broadly defined, not just creative, not just academic, not just final document
includes all spectrum of the civic life
research cannot identify ONE specific thing to lead to good instruction--it varies according to needs
Key Terms
Genre: categories to which a text belongs
WAC (Writing Across the Curriculum): the use of writing in a variety of subjects and disciplines
WID (Writing in Disciplines): content specific i.e., lab reports, geometry proofs
Formative Assessment: diagnostic tools to determine writing in process
Summative Assessment: final product
Prescriptive Grammar: “formal English”, social construct (coding, more nuanced); based on the belief that there should be a hierarcy of language
Functional Grammar: spoken language, real world
New-media writing: digital technologies that transforms language
Common Myths about School-Based Writing
Writing assignments should be an opportunity to learn, not just an assessment of skills
Good academic writing is subjective and varied across curriculum
Grammar drills are NOT the best way to teach grammar; grammar taught in context is more effective
Genre needs to be studied in order to understand purpose and audience
One-time high stakes tests are not good indicators of a student’s abilities, and misuse of them is common
Tech capabilities shape the writing process and products
Understanding Writing Now
Writing is Holistic
Writing is Authentic
Writing is Varied
Research-Based Recommendations for Effective Writing Instruction and Assessment
For teachers
get kids writing across the curriculum, DAILY
For schools
provide professional development and the tools to utilize what was learned
For policy makers
provide funding, support (verbal and policy-wise)

Writing Next: Effective strategies to improve writing of adolescents in middle and high schools
Inquiry Activities, which engages students in analyzing immediate, concrete data to help them develop ideas and content for a particular writing task

INQUIRY ACTIVITIES: AN EXAMPLE
Students examine and infer the qualities of a number of objects in order to describe them in writing. The students touch objects while wearing blindfolds, examine seashells, listen to sounds, do physical exercise, become aware of bodily sensations, examine pictures, pantomime brief scenarios, act out dialogues, and examine model compositions. Students’ responses to these objects are elicited. Students list more and more precise details, and respond to each other’s descriptions in small groups or whole classes under teacher guidance in order to become increasingly aware of the writing task and possible audience reactions to the written product. The students write and revise several compositions. The teacher makes comments on each draft of the composition with the intention of increasing specificity, focus, and impact of the writing. Source: Hillocks, 1982

Effecitve inquiry activeites in writing are characterized by:
a clearly specified goal	describe the actions of people
analysis of concreteand immediate data	observe one or more peers during specific activities
use of specific strategiesto conduct the analysis	retrospectively ask the person being observed the reason for a particularaction
applying what was learned	assign the writing of a story incorporating insights fromthe inquiry process